White Gold Engagement Rings
If you want to help keep the cost of your engagement ring down, white gold is the way to go. White gold engagement rings are a great substitute to platinum rings and they are quite difficult to tell apart.
In this article, I will outline the differences between white gold and other metal types commonly used in engagement rings (such as yellow gold and platinum). I will also share some other ring alternatives if your goal is to score a great ring without breaking the budget.
White Gold v. Yellow Gold v. Platinum
So then why get a white gold engagement ring rather than another kind of ring? Here's a chart showing some similarities and differences between all three:
Other Ring Metals as they Compare to White Gold
Yellow Gold
| Platinum
| |
|---|---|---|
Similarities
| Price
| Looks (Both look like silver)
|
Differences
| Color
| Price (Platinum is much more expensive)
|
Variations in Gold Engagement Rings
Some gold engagement rings are plated or coated with a different material. This is usually done to increase the durability of the ring (because gold is a "soft" metal) or the image/color.
White gold engagement rings are sometimes coated with rhodium which is a type of platinum. Since the colors are about the same, rhodium is put on the ring to make the ring more durable and long lasting. Unfortunately for your wallet, rhodium is one of the most expensive precious metals according to wikipedia.
Yellow gold engagement rings are sometimes also coated with platinum. This has a two-fold purpose since it increases ring strength and changes the appearance to silver.
White Gold Engagement Ring- PRICES
Since white gold is less expensive than platinum, you should expect to save some decent money on your engagement ring. The only way to save more money on your ring is to change what you want on it (smaller diamonds, rubies instead of a diamond, etc) or to get an engagement ring made with silver.
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Cost Effective Engagement Rings
For other cost effective engagement rings, you might want to look at:
Comments
Very beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
I ended up buying my wife a white gold engagement ring (and wedding band) as well. She isn't the "type" for yellow gold and she'll be the first to say that, so I knew what I had to get.
And yes, platinum is crazy expensive. White gold was the perfect alternative.
I prefer white gold over yellow gold.
You're in good company- my wife also much prefers white gold over yellow gold.
- Gold education
Educational article on yellow and white gold. - Colored gold
Wikipedia's entry on colored gold that explains the differences between yellow, white and other shades of gold.
JamesCurtis 2 years ago
I went for a white gold wedding ring in the end. For me it was the only choice as my bride wanted a platinum ring but I couldn't face the expense of a 5mm platinum band but still wanted a good match. Good article.